Area firefighters mourn for 19 killed in Arizona

In this April 7, 2013 file photo, US Forest Service firefighters, on top of their truck, keep an eye on a back fire designed to protect structures at Lake in the Forest RV Resort as a wildfire burns on Halfmoon Lake prairie. Firefighter deaths in Arizona remind area supervisors of the dangers their crews face fighting blazes in the Ocala National Forest.

Published: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 4:49 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 4:49 p.m.

The deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona over the weekend resonated with area officials Monday, as many were reminded of the sleeping behemoth in their own backyard: the Ocala National Forest.

"It's just sad and devastating. We're a close-knit wildland community," said John Fish, fire chief of the Florida Forest Service, who is based in Tallahassee. "Any loss at all is tragic, and to lose 19 at one time on the same fire is just extremely difficult to deal with."

Last week Florida announced it has 70 firefighters ready to deploy to the western United State if needed to fight any wildland blazes. Crews are always available unless they are needed within the state in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Wildfires, or forest fires, can also be described as wildland fires.

The 19 firefighters of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot crew were killed battling the fire that raged through two towns located 80 miles northwest of Phoenix on Sunday.

"It breaks my heart," said Mike Herrin, a district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service. "I'm responsible for every employee in the Ocala National Forest ...there's not one acre out there that's worth the life of any firefighter."

Herrin was previously posted in Montana in an area much larger than the sprawling 384,000-acre forest that consumes a sizeable portion of Marion County. But what makes Ocala different is there are residential communities that border the forest and others that are embedded right in between the pines.

Herrin pointed out in the western U.S., officials sometimes allow a fire to blaze on, but in the Ocala National Forest, a fire must be contained as soon as it ignites.

The almost-daily rain this summer has helped decrease the number of fires in Ocala, where the height of fire season is February through May, according to Herrin.

"We have maybe 100 fires per year," Herrin said. "Most of my firefighters keep them under an acre."

There are currently about 60 employees in Herrin's U.S. Forest Service office: 12-15 full-time firefighters, 15 or 20 who can be called in as backup and another 10 or 12 positions that help logistically.

According to Fish, Florida is the only state he knows of that requires firefighters to be trained in two disciplines: how to fight wildfires and structural fires. Each Florida firefighter is required to complete 600 hours of training upon starting the program.

"We fight fires 365 days a year here in Florida," he said.

Fires in the Ocala National Forest are reported in a number of ways, including by passersby who notice something. Otherwise, Herrin's team is proactive, sending a plane into the sky daily to look for smoke when conditions increase the chance of fires. There is also a sophisticated map that indicates areas of likely fires after lightning strikes, which can spark a fire even a day or two after hitting the ground.

Many fires in the forest are started by either lightning strikes or camp fires. Herrin urges campers to pour water on their cooking fires and mush the earth around, creating a mud puddle. Throwing sand over a spark is not enough and could actually keep the fire insulated. "It makes it like a little oven," he said.

When Herrin's firefighters do come across a blaze, their best course of action is using a tractor plow to dig up the dirt surrounding the fire — breaking up the consistent carpet of vegetation that feeds the flames.

"It's hard to burn dirt," Herrin explained.

Several of the firefighters who perished over the weekend were found dead inside their fire shelters, a tool also used by Florida firefighters. According to Fish of the Florida Forest Service, these shelters, which look like sleeping bags, are designed to reflect radiant heat but not to receive direct flame contact.

"That's something you never want to have to pull out," Fish said. He went on to talk about fire shelter training and then again emphasized this as the last line of defense.

<p>The deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona over the weekend resonated with area officials Monday, as many were reminded of the sleeping behemoth in their own backyard: the Ocala National Forest.</p><p>"It's just sad and devastating. We're a close-knit wildland community," said John Fish, fire chief of the Florida Forest Service, who is based in Tallahassee. "Any loss at all is tragic, and to lose 19 at one time on the same fire is just extremely difficult to deal with."</p><p>Last week Florida announced it has 70 firefighters ready to deploy to the western United State if needed to fight any wildland blazes. Crews are always available unless they are needed within the state in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Wildfires, or forest fires, can also be described as wildland fires.</p><p>The 19 firefighters of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot crew were killed battling the fire that raged through two towns located 80 miles northwest of Phoenix on Sunday.</p><p>"It breaks my heart," said Mike Herrin, a district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service. "I'm responsible for every employee in the Ocala National Forest ...there's not one acre out there that's worth the life of any firefighter."</p><p>Herrin was previously posted in Montana in an area much larger than the sprawling 384,000-acre forest that consumes a sizeable portion of Marion County. But what makes Ocala different is there are residential communities that border the forest and others that are embedded right in between the pines.</p><p>Herrin pointed out in the western U.S., officials sometimes allow a fire to blaze on, but in the Ocala National Forest, a fire must be contained as soon as it ignites.</p><p>The almost-daily rain this summer has helped decrease the number of fires in Ocala, where the height of fire season is February through May, according to Herrin.</p><p>"We have maybe 100 fires per year," Herrin said. "Most of my firefighters keep them under an acre."</p><p>There are currently about 60 employees in Herrin's U.S. Forest Service office: 12-15 full-time firefighters, 15 or 20 who can be called in as backup and another 10 or 12 positions that help logistically.</p><p>According to Fish, Florida is the only state he knows of that requires firefighters to be trained in two disciplines: how to fight wildfires and structural fires. Each Florida firefighter is required to complete 600 hours of training upon starting the program.</p><p>"We fight fires 365 days a year here in Florida," he said.</p><p>Fires in the Ocala National Forest are reported in a number of ways, including by passersby who notice something. Otherwise, Herrin's team is proactive, sending a plane into the sky daily to look for smoke when conditions increase the chance of fires. There is also a sophisticated map that indicates areas of likely fires after lightning strikes, which can spark a fire even a day or two after hitting the ground.</p><p>Many fires in the forest are started by either lightning strikes or camp fires. Herrin urges campers to pour water on their cooking fires and mush the earth around, creating a mud puddle. Throwing sand over a spark is not enough and could actually keep the fire insulated. "It makes it like a little oven," he said.</p><p>When Herrin's firefighters do come across a blaze, their best course of action is using a tractor plow to dig up the dirt surrounding the fire — breaking up the consistent carpet of vegetation that feeds the flames.</p><p>"It's hard to burn dirt," Herrin explained.</p><p>Several of the firefighters who perished over the weekend were found dead inside their fire shelters, a tool also used by Florida firefighters. According to Fish of the Florida Forest Service, these shelters, which look like sleeping bags, are designed to reflect radiant heat but not to receive direct flame contact.</p><p>"That's something you never want to have to pull out," Fish said. He went on to talk about fire shelter training and then again emphasized this as the last line of defense.</p><p>"That's really the last chance for survival you have," he said.</p><p><i>Contact April Warren at 867-4065 or april.warren@ocala.com.</i></p>